3 tips to train the brain to sleep better
With changing lifestyles, it has become increasingly difficult for many to get enough sleep. We have replaced our natural rhythms with artificial rhythms, created by blue light from too many screens - TVs, computers, smartphones and devices.
games and more.
After suffering so much chronic sleep deprivation, it can seem impossible to get a good night's sleep.
That's why the psychologist and sleep expert who directs the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona and the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic at Banner University Medical Center in Tucson recommends Michael Grandner three tips for training your brain to sleep better.
1. Stick to the schedule
Melatonin is a hormone that the body produces to regulate when you get sleepy and when you wake up.
As night approaches, melatonin levels rise and become a major signal to the body that it's time for bed.
Melatonin production is shut down by exposure to light -- so levels naturally drop as daylight approaches. That's why Grandner recommends staying in control and sticking to a sleep-wake schedule to maintain your activity level.
"We can't always control when we sleep but we can control when we wake up, which activates a small timer in the brain that sets our rhythms to sleep," Grandner said.
2. Not staying in bed awake
Why is this so important?
Because lying in bed awake can form an association in the brain that can lead to chronic insomnia, Grandner explained.
Instead of being a comfortable place where you fall asleep peacefully, your bed becomes a restless place where you wake up tired. "The best sleep advice you can ever give someone is to get up -- don't stay in bed awake," Grandner said.
"Whether it's the beginning of the night or the middle of the night, if you've been awake for 20 or 30 minutes, get up and reset. Maybe you only need five minutes to get drowsy, or maybe an hour, but don't spend that time awake in bed."
3. Change your sleeping position
Many people view sleep as the last thing they have to do on a busy day, worth delaying to catch up on chores, school work, office work, or the latest TV series, but this thinking is wrong and should change. you in your day"
.
"See your sleep as the amount of time you need to prepare yourself for a productive tomorrow."
It may seem like a small shift in thinking, Grander added, but it's an important one.
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